U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman has been asked to review the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee last September to determine whether federal laws were violated.

The review, prompted by a referral from the Port Authority Office of Inspector General, is considered a preliminary look to determine if a full-blown investigation is warranted.

If a criminal investigation is undertaken, charges ranging from interfering with the right of state travel to obstruction of justice to criminal negligent homicide could be lodged, legislators and legal experts said on Thursday. Another outcome: lawsuits filed by commuters or business owners who were impacted by the massive traffic snarl.

In a press conference shortly after the U.S. Attorney’s review was revealed on Thursday, Governor Christie apologized to the citizens of Fort Lee for the lane closures. It was his first public appearance after documents were released to The Record showing a member of his staff was at the center of the George Washington Bridge lane closures.

Christie, a former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, told reporters that he hated when politicians stood behind podiums and suggested what he, as U.S. Attorney, should do. As a result, he said he would not speculate what action Fishman should take now that he is a politician.

Robert Del Tufo, a former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and former state attorney general, said a review, which will take a short period of time, is “a housekeeping type of thing” to determine whether to launch a grand jury investigation.

“It’s just a good practice,” he said. “You just don’t jump in without knowing something about it.”

The review, Del Tufo said, “necessarily flows from all of the events that have occurred. “Any responsible federal or state official would want to look into this further to see if it warrants any further attention.”

A key element for investigators could be an email sent by Bridget Anne Kelly, one of Christie’s deputy chiefs of staff to David Wildstein, a Christie appointee at the Port Authority, saying “It’s time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” Wildstein replied “Got it.” Wildstein has since resigned, and Christie announced Thursday that Kelly was fired.

While many believed the lane closures were retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat who did not join other party members in endorsing Christie, the official explanation from Christie’s appointees to the Port Authority was that they were part of a traffic study.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, who has called for a federal investigation, said the review was a positive step.

“Normally investigations aren’t announced in public but this is such a high profile case,” Lesniak said. “I think it’s mandatory that they get to the bottom of this because there is solid evidence that substantial crimes were committed.”

Specifically, he said that crimes of obstruction of justice for the traffic study claims and reckless endangerment of lives including criminally negligent homicide should be considered. On the endangerment of lives, Lesniak referred to emergency response vehicles that were tied up in the traffic jam and the homicide charge is tied to a 91-year-old woman unconscious woman who was delayed in receiving treatment because paramedics were stuck in local traffic trying to get to her. She later died of cardiac arrest at a hospital.

“We don’t know whether the delay was a significant factor in causing her death but we do know there was a significant delay in getting her to the hospital,” he said.

Given Christie’s former role as U.S. Attorney, Lesniak also suggested that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigate the case along with Fishman.

“This would alleviate any concerns that this is going to be thoroughly investigated because of the close relationships the governor had with that office in the past,” Lesniak said.

Frank Askin, a law professor at the Rutgers School of Law in Newark, said many criminal statutes could be invoked in this case. An example: the interference with the right of interstate travel, where federal prosecutors would have to prove that there was a specific intent to deny people the right to travel between New York and New Jersey.

Askin also said that civil suits could be filed by commuters who could argue they were injured or harmed in some way by being unable to travel between the two states. Already on Thursday, a class-action suit was filed by Fort Lee lawyer Rosemarie Arnold on the behalf of six plaintiffs and an entire “plaintiff class” that claim “injury, either physical or psychological. and/or who were caused to sustain economic damages.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters in the Capitol Thursday that a federal probe was justified.

“I don’t know whether federal laws were broken, but there certainly is very powerful and cogent reason for an investigation,” said Blumenthal, who served as United States Attorney for Connecticut for four years ending in 1981.

“Plainly, here’s an impact on interstate commerce, and potentially interference with the use of the roads that combine state interests. That would justify a federal investigation if the Department of Justice feels it’s appropriate,” he said.